An economically and commercially viable, refillable plastic bottle reduces the existing land fill and recycle problems associated with disposable plastic containers, and more particularly with plastic containers formed of PET. In addition, a refillable container will permit the entry of the safer, lighter weight plastic containers into those markets currently dominated by glass, where legislation prohibits use of non-returnable packages.
The desirability of a refillable container formed of a polyester is specifically discussed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,334,627 granted Jun. 15, 1982. The disclosure of that patent is incorporated herein by reference.
At the present, it is to be understood that several polyester candidates provide the desired clarity and physical properties deemed necessary to produce refillable plastic containers. These polymers include polyethylene terephthalate (PET) acrylonitrile, polyarylate, polycarbonate, etc. Of the polymers commercially available, PET, at the present, offers the best balance of properties and cost/performance ratios.
The container specifically disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,334,627 has been improved and is specifically disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,725,464, granted Feb. 16, 1988. This patent makes specific reference to U.S. Pat. No. 4,334,627.
This invention relates to an improvement in the container specifically disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,725,464 and the preform from which such container is blow molded.